Ubani: How Buhari can appease #EndSARS protesters

 

How would you comment on the #EndSARS protests going on across the country especially from a legal point of view?

From the legal point of view it is legitimate. It is not unconstitutional for people to protest as long as the protest is peaceful and within the bounds of law and decency. There is nothing fundamentally wrong with protest; it is part of the mechanism that is employed in democracy to drive home the grievances of citizens over some government policies they feel strongly about.

The protesters have been blocking roads, thereby preventing other people from going about their lawful businesses. Aren’t they infringing on the rights of others in doing that?
Well, when you carry out protests, there are some consequences part of which is what you are highlighting now. Protesters may in some instances block the roads; sometimes they may slow the movement of other people who are lawful users of the roads; sometimes they can inconvenience people. It is part of the protest as long as they are not attacking citizens. I have never seen any place where protest is done in such a manner that there won’t be some of these inconveniences. But as long as there is no violence being unleashed on innocent citizens it is expected.

So, we need to endure because what they are actually demanding is of national importance. Few days ago, I spent five hours in a journey of 45 minutes because of the protests. I even had to grant an interview in the traffic to a national television. So, it is one of those things. If they eventually succeed in getting government to address the issues, all of us will be beneficiaries. By that time, you will not remember that you suffered some inconveniences during the protests.